Impact MBA Fellowships

• Extend capacity to advance a specific sustainability issue.
• Impact MBA students bring unique and valuable skills: a scientific-based understanding of sustainability (including carbon accounting, ESG disclosures, and life-cycle analysis) and a strategic business mindset.
• Students make informed decisions based on critical factors like project feasibility, payback periods, and return on investment, taught throughout the Impact MBA curriculum. 
• Increase access to a highly skilled workforce. Every year our program attracts and graduates talented and driven professionals, spanning Fulbright Scholars, Coverdell Fellows, military veterans and international students.
• All recruiting, selection, and training will be handled by Impact MBA program staff prior to the start of the fellowships to find the best students who align with organizations’ needs. 
• Every fellowship student will develop a final project report touching on areas like next steps for implementation, detailed analysis, waste savings projections, ROI calculations, and more. 
• Employer partners and students will be recognized at the Impact MBA Sustainability Showcase, which will highlight and celebrate the outcomes of the summer partnerships. Students will present their case studies and be eligible for awards. 

• Identify a specific issue your organization (or a program within your organization) is facing. Issues must be specific and academically rigorous in nature.
• Detail expected activities for the fellow: 
  • Projects must contain analysis, research, recommendations, and some level of implementation.
  • Fellows should not be working on day-to-day tasks within a firm, such as answering phones, making sales calls, taking over social media, etc.
  • Work is required to be specialized and capacity building with students helping to build, analyze, or advance a project focused on a specific sustainability outcome – likely one that is not yet in existence or is in its early stages.

• Identify the skills necessary for a fellow to be successful in the proposed role.
• Identify desired outcomes for the organization.
• Assign a key supervisor and company contact.

Expectations for Participating organizations:

• Have organizational commitment to improving business operations from a sustainability perspective (waste, emissions, materials use).
• Commit resources to supporting the Impact MBA Fellow, including an assigned supervisor and workspace.
• Develop a detailed work plan in conjunction with your assigned student and adhere to the plan throughout the summer.
• The fellow will be trained on any safety, behavioral, or other expectations set by the company.
• Participating organizations agree to support a minimum $20 hourly wage, totaling a minimum of $8,000 for students' 400 hours of required work.
  Participating companies will reimburse the student for any job-related expenses, including mileage for project-related travel. All reimbursements will receive pre-approval from the supervisor.
• Fellowships will start late May and end in mid-August.

Expectations for Supervisors:

• The assigned supervisor will develop a detailed work plan in conjunction with the student by May 2.
• Supervisors will identify preparatory work (i.e., trainings, conferences, webinars, research, etc.) that may be necessary for students to complete in order to hit the ground running once the fellowship begins.
• The assigned supervisor must have regular assigned weekly contact with the fellow and prioritize information access to complete fellowship duties.
• The assigned supervisor will submit feedback on the fellowship to the Impact MBA program staff within three weeks of the fellowship's completion.

All Impact MBA Fellowship students will adhere to a confidentiality agreement developed between the company and the fellow. Companies also agree to allow Fellowship information to be shared in the following ways:

• Corporate Sustainability Project Executive Summary (in print and on website)
• Student Presentation – Impact MBA Sustainability Showcase

Companies will have the ability to review and approve any public-facing materials or presentations before their use.